Sometimes, TV can really take you by surprise and serve up a delightful, unexpected treat. Tuesday night, Fox did just that, in its latest episode of Raising Hope, by giving an extended, unexpected, very funny nod to a 42-year-old TV theme song by Harry Nilsson...

2011

Mar

SINGING THE PRAISES OF 'TROUBADOURS' ON PBS 'AMERICAN MASTERS' By David Bianculli

troubadours-my-top.jpgWe've just been sucked into one of those infernal March public broadcasting pledge-break whirlpools, so Wednesday's PBS showing of Troubadours: The Rise of the Singer-Songwriter (8 pm. ET; check local listings) may be on at a different time, even if a different night, where you live. But please find it, because this latest American Masters special is a pleasure to hear AND see...

2011

Mar

CHARLIE SHEEN, 'IN HIS OWN WORDS' - AND, ON ABC, WITH HIS OWN ROPE By David Bianculli

Hollywood's latest loose-cannon, volatile celebrity is the subject of tonight's hastily and eagerly scheduled ABC 20/20 special (10 pm. ET), titled Charlie Sheen: In His Own Words. ABC may as well have called it Charlie Sheen: With His Own Rope, because, based on excerpts aired already on Good Morning America, the star of Two and a Half Men hangs himself with almost every new, rambling, often frightening utterance...

2011

Feb

OSCARS 2011: FINAL AWARD IS ANTI-'SOCIAL,' BUT THERE'S A LOT TO LIKE AS 'KING' GETS CROWNED By David Bianculli

Even if you were hoping for the timeliness of The Social Network to upset the staidness of The King's Speech at Sunday's 83d Annual Academy Awards, the ABC telecast provided drama until the end -- and lots of nice moments, and story angles, and even some welcome changes to carry over for next year...

2011

Feb

FOR A VALUABLE SECOND OPINION, LOOK TO ENGLAND -- AND TO BBC NEWS AND RICKY GERVAIS By David Bianculli

With the Oscars arriving Sunday night, and several parts of the world in upheaval from revolutions or earthquakes, there's no better time to look for a different perspective than now, and no better place than England -- with BBC News for the latter, and Ricky Gervais for the former...

2011

Feb

'AMERICAN IDOL' HAS FOUND ITS HEART, AND ITS SALVATION, IN JENNIFER LOPEZ By David Bianculli

Beatles night on Fox's American Idol didn't please please me -- the judges were much more impressed than I. But at the end, as the trio of judges began whittling the ranks down to the final 24 (a process that continues Thursday night at 8 ET), Jennifer Lopez became the new heart of Idol by being a very stern judge -- of herself...

2011

Feb

NEWS, COMEDY, DRAMA -- BROADCAST TV'S SHINING EXAMPLES OF EACH By David Bianculli

Except for sports, most broadcast TV genres just aren't as dominant, or even as good, as they used to be. But though cable has grabbed most of the ground and momentum, there are still islands of excellence where broadcast television proves, week in and week out, it still can present the best. Ladies and gentlemen, as Exhibits A through C, I give you: 60 Minutes for news, Modern Family for comedy, and The Good Wife for Drama...

2011

Feb

SHOWTIME'S 'EPISODES': NO SECOND SEASON YET, BUT THERE BETTER BE ONE By David Bianculli

Showtime hasn't yet committed to a second season of its charming and clever Episodes series, which presents its first-season finale Sunday night at 9:30 p.m. ET -- but should, and fast. When a show comes out of the box this impressively, and wraps up its first batch of installments with such compelling brilliance, viewers deserve more...

2011

Feb

ELEMENTARY, MY DEAR WATSON: ON 'JEOPARDY,' COMPUTER BITES MAN By David Bianculli

Ken Jennings, until now the best contestant ever to play Jeopardy!, was trounced by IBM's Watson supercomputer in this week's two-game, three-day duel -- but in the final "Final Jeopardy," accepted defeat in a way that was lovably, laughably human. Beneath his correct answer of "Bram Stoker," Jennings added, "I, for one, welcome our new computer overlords"...

2011

Feb

ANOTHER PROPOSAL TO CUT FUNDING FOR PUBLIC BROADCASTING? WHAT A BIG BIRD-BRAINED IDEA By David Bianculli

This one was inevitable: With Republicans in Congress winning seats in the 2010 midterm election and feeling their oats, and with budget cuts a hot-button issue on both sides of the aisle, Republicans are proposing a complete elimination of public funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which provides money to both PBS and public radio. What's a supporter of public broadcasting to do? Simple: Remember your history...

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David Bianculli

Founder / Editor

David Bianculli has been a TV critic since 1975, including a 14-year stint at the New York Daily News, and sees no reason to stop now. Currently, he's TV critic for NPR's Fresh Air with Terry Gross, and is an occasional substitute host for that show. He's also an author and teaches TV and film history at New Jersey's Rowan University. His 2009 Dangerously Funny: The Uncensored Story of 'The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour', has been purchased for film rights. His latest, The Platinum Age of Television: From I Love Lucy to the Walking Dead, How TV Became Terrific, is an effusive guidebook that plots the path from the 1950s’ Golden Age to today’s era of quality TV.

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